How To: Replace Brake Rotors and Pads for 2001 QX4/Pathfinder

A forum for the legendary Nissan Pathfinder and Infiniti QX4.
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Empty V
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GRNMACHINE wrote:Empty, man-a-fre wants $119 each plus shipping, does that sound about right for the dba rotors? Really didnt want to spend that much, was able to get Brembo cross drilled rotors for my Explorer for about $60 each including shipping. Caliper prices are really outrageous for the pathfinder as well.
Yeah that's what I paid, did you talk to Steve? Tell him Billy with the QX4 sent you, doubt it'll help but can't hurt to try. As far as the YellowStuff pads go I like them a lot. They squeal when cold for the fir few compressions but after that they're solid. I haven't experienced any fade and have had a few abrupt stops since the install.

Billy


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phaddi_inc
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excellent write up...tackled the pads and rotors on my QX4 last weekend, i wanted to change the wheel bearings but the shop gave me the wrong ones (slightly too big...) A 4 ft pry bar came in handy to seperate the wheel bearing hub/body from the rotors ! thanks again

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GRNMACHINE
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Billy,

Didnt get a chance to talk to Steve personally yet. I was finally able to get to the brake issue yesterday. The rotors and pads look "ok". Unfortunately, as I thought, one of the caliper pistons is stuck. Anyone have a suggestion on a replacement? I read you should replace them as a pair. I would rather not replace anything but the failing caliper if I can help it. Nissan discount wants $180 for a caliper. Napa/Auto Zoneage/ebay used etc anywhere from $50 to $130 for reman. Does it even matter? I have contacted Baer,wildwood, and a few others, none of them make upgraded calipers etc.

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Empty V
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GRNMACHINE wrote:Billy,

Didnt get a chance to talk to Steve personally yet. I was finally able to get to the brake issue yesterday. The rotors and pads look "ok". Unfortunately, as I thought, one of the caliper pistons is stuck. Anyone have a suggestion on a replacement? I read you should replace them as a pair. I would rather not replace anything but the failing caliper if I can help it. Nissan discount wants $180 for a caliper. Napa/Auto Zoneage/ebay used etc anywhere from $50 to $130 for reman. Does it even matter? I have contacted Baer,wildwood, and a few others, none of them make upgraded calipers etc.
Sorry to hear about the stuck caliper. When you do replace it/them don't forget to beed out the lines. Bleeding the lines should probably be done when you replace any of the pads/rotors and if not necessary then for good measure. It's on my to do list for sure. As far as replacement this is really a question for Sicwitit. I'd get a hold of him or maybe he'll see this and respond. When it comes to brakes dude is the man.

Billy

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Empty V
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GRNMACHINE wrote:Billy,

Didnt get a chance to talk to Steve personally yet. I was finally able to get to the brake issue yesterday. The rotors and pads look "ok". Unfortunately, as I thought, one of the caliper pistons is stuck. Anyone have a suggestion on a replacement? I read you should replace them as a pair. I would rather not replace anything but the failing caliper if I can help it. Nissan discount wants $180 for a caliper. Napa/Auto Zoneage/ebay used etc anywhere from $50 to $130 for reman. Does it even matter? I have contacted Baer,wildwood, and a few others, none of them make upgraded calipers etc.
Sorry to hear about the stuck caliper. When you do replace it/them don't forget to beed out the lines. Bleeding the lines should probably be done when you replace any of the pads/rotors and if not necessary then for good measure. It's on my to do list for sure. As far as replacement this is really a question for Sicwitit. I'd get a hold of him or maybe he'll see this and respond. When it comes to brakes dude is a Guru.

Billy

sewanee06
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Did my pads and rotors today; it went well and without a hitch...just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for the tips, etc...Billy's step by step was a big help as this was my first time pulling and replacing the rotors. So, got the tranny leak fixed, the 120K service done, a new windshield and now the pads and rotors...I'm ready for the next 140,000 miles (with a pad change in there somewhere). This forum is a killer resource...keep it up!! I'll be back at some at some point...

~Jeff

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GRNMACHINE
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Thanks Billy, I was able to get ahold of sicwitit. Without going custom, replacement caliper from Autozone will fit the bill for now. It came in today, hope to pick it up tomorrow, replace over the weekend. And u r right, he knows his stuff. Much Appreciated.

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Empty V
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sewanee06 wrote:Did my pads and rotors today; it went well and without a hitch...just wanted to say thanks again to everyone for the tips, etc...Billy's step by step was a big help as this was my first time pulling and replacing the rotors. So, got the tranny leak fixed, the 120K service done, a new windshield and now the pads and rotors...I'm ready for the next 140,000 miles (with a pad change in there somewhere). This forum is a killer resource...keep it up!! I'll be back at some at some point...

~Jeff
GRNMACHINE wrote:Thanks Billy, I was able to get ahold of sicwitit. Without going custom, replacement caliper from Autozone will fit the bill for now. It came in today, hope to pick it up tomorrow, replace over the weekend. And u r right, he knows his stuff. Much Appreciated.
No problem guys! This one is nothing compared to some of the well thought out much more complex "How To:" threads that some of our other member have created.

Billy

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GRNMACHINE
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Replaced passenger caliper with an Autozone Remanned caliper, $59.99. Pretty easy, pics definitely helped Billy! Rotors looked really good, pads looked really good. Cleaned everything up, collected alot of rust.
THANKS

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amaff
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So maybe I'm just used to my easy-to-work-on little Mazdas and I'm just thinking about this wrong, but for the life of me I can't tell from the pictures. If you take out the 6 bolts from the rotor, does it not come right off? Or is the hub / wheel bearing assembly actually in front of and interfering with the brake rotor? Yes, this is a simple question to answer if I just went outside and took the front wheel off, but it's 12:00 AM and I'm lazy :chuckle:.

Again, I'm used to working on cars where once you pulled the wheel and the caliper, the rotor that just rides on the studs slides right off, usually without requiring too much help from my "Motivational Tools" drawer ;)

~Andrew

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amaff
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Ok, found the page in the FSM that covers it. I don't really see what advantage there is to making the brakes that hard to service, but I guess that's why I don't get paid to design these things. Kind of a dumb design, but alas...

I figured it would make a good addition to the how-to as it has the entire exploded diagram of the front axles (non 4x4):

Image

(click the image to blow it up to full size)


The part that I had trouble figuring out solely from the pictures was that the rotor is completely behind the hub-face. I thought it was in front of it and bolted to the hub behind the rotor. Oh well lol

VG33QX4
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when i did mine, i just changed the rotor, by removing the bolts on the rotor and replacing it, thats it, pretty cake. if you dont want to pack or replace bearings you dont need to.

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CanuckQx4
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Wow this brake job looks intense!!! Glad I found this thread.

Is there 2 bearings in each front wheel??

I want to put better pads and rotors on my car (green stuff pads is all I decided on as of now) but these bearings seem complicated to remove.

How does the actual rotor itself detach from this whole assembly?? And can you not just buy a new hub or whatever you call the piece that the rotor bolts to with the bearings inside it and just bolt your new rotor to that and have everything new??

Just trying to get a grip on the best way to do this

Thanks!!!

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GRNMACHINE
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Just wanted to update, remanned caliper from AutoZone is leaking badly. Good thing, they are under warranty, bad thing is, it's 4 degrees and I have to replace it again....

And for anyone considering Satisfied Ceramic Pads or any Satisfied Pads purchased thru Tire Rack--do yourself a favor and buy the private label Pro Stop Pads from Pep Boys. Why? They are the SAME exact pads/part numbers confirmed by Satisfied's Extremely UNFRIENDLY Customer Service in Canada --- Pep Boys offers a LIFETIME WARRANTY on the pads. Unfortunately for me, Tire Rack offers NO WARRANTY on these pads. Will be looking to replace them which means I get to pay another $50 for them. If purchased thru Pep Boys for the same price less shipping, I could have walked in, handed them the worn pads and walked out with another pair FREE of Charge.... May be getting another pair thru Pep Boys or trying another brand of ceramics with LIFETIME WARRANTY -- will not be purchasing any Satisfied Pads thru Tire Rack again.

Did alot of research before choosing these pads, apparently not Enough... There is alot to be said about purchasing parts/items locally.

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Pathofinder
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Is there a walkthrough or any pictures of the drum brakes at all??

I cannot find anything, Id like to know what parts a brake kit for our cars would come with

Knowing how to do the rear brakes before tearing it apart would be great!

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asnorton44
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What extra steps are involved for a 4X4?

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Chuck Tribolet
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Pathofinder wrote:Is there a walkthrough or any pictures of the drum brakes at all??
I've got 190,000 miles on my '01 PF, and the original rear shoes are just fine.

1. The drum has two threaded holes near the inner diameter. You put a bolt in each (6mm IIRC) and turns them down.
The bolts push against the hub and pull the drum off. Pretty slick.

2. If your PF has a lot of miles on it, you need to unadjust (loosen) the shoes before pulling the drum. Over time, the drum develops a little lip that the shoe gets behind and the the drum won't come off because it's trying to pull the shoe off too.
I'd been checking the rears at each front pad change (every 45,000ish) and I didn't hit this till the most recent check (185,000
miles). I turned the drum around backwards on the lugs, put a couple of lug nuts on to hold it., and ground the lip down with a
1" stone in a die grinder.

3. Adjustment is a pain in the a**.

Chuck

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Pathofinder
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Mine has 115k but I dont know of any service done to them so I would like to just replace them, Probably buying new drums and shoes. I am just very unware of the process. Me and my husband did the front brakes and that was fairly difficult but only took a few hours.

If the shoes do infact have to be loosened to get the drum off, is that done outside the drum? Id love to do this job myself when we put new shocks and struts in

I figured the process of springs and such inside is what Ive heard is the hard part and making it all work tight with good pedal feel after your done would be the hard part... not just getting the drum off

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Empty V
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asnorton44 wrote:What extra steps are involved for a 4X4?
Not much, here's a diagram.

Image

Basically you pop the hub cap, remove the snap ring, then the drive flange nuts, then the drive flange. everything form there on out is identical with one exception. When you're putting everything back together you have to push the CV towards the outside so the axle pushes out. Without doing this you wont have enough room for the snap ring to sit in the groove. Basically you'll grab the CV boot (accordion like protector) and pull it towards you.

We did this last Saturday and for about 30min looked at it trying to figure out why the slot for the snap ring wasn't exposed. At first we thought we hadn't pushed the hub assembly far back enough onto the axle so we started disassembling it and tried to force the outer bearing in deeper. Then we saw the axle move and face palmed ourselves.

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Empty V
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Pathofinder wrote:If the shoes do infact have to be loosened to get the drum off, is that done outside the drum? Id love to do this job myself when we put new shocks and struts in

I figured the process of springs and such inside is what Ive heard is the hard part and making it all work tight with good pedal feel after your done would be the hard part... not just getting the drum off
I have't tackled those yet but I know they're a lot of work and require even more patience. I'll get to them eventually.

cs_wrc
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People were asking about an inexpensive alternative to the spindle nut tool a while back and no one really gave a clear ansewr. Get a spindle nut remover for a Dana 44 axle and do this to it.
http://nissannut.com/maintenance/wheel_bearing_tool/
This tool cost me around $15 at Autozone.

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351cleveland
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Question: did you re-use or order new OEM shims? I did this rotor/pad replacement back in july, and still kinda feel as if the brakes should engage sooner when compressing the pedal down. Almost as if they need to be a little thicker and grab quicker. Maybe its just my preference, but since the old stock setup was so shot and rusted, i did not reuse the brake pad shims. Im think about ordering some OEM shims from courtesyparts.com, and redoing my pad install.

adamzan
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Here is the exact tool you need.

http://www.autopart.com/TOOLS/TOOLSMAIN/tool/T_4170.htm

Only 13 dollars plus shipping and is very nice to have if you plan on keeping your path/qx4 for a while. Using punches/screwdrivers/and the like damage the holes in the locknut socket.

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Pathofinder
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Anyone done rear brakes with pics yet?

m0nkeyprince
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haha the rear drum brakes are insanely complicated, and after 95k miles, the pads for them are still very very good, so good in fact, i just returned my set of rear brake pads

im trying to get the caliper bracket bolts off, i think my previous mechanic used loctite red, frikn A, and i have no leverage trying to get it loose inside the wheel well.

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donald
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m0nkeyprince wrote:haha the rear drum brakes are insanely complicated, and after 95k miles, the pads for them are still very very good, so good in fact, i just returned my set of rear brake pads

im trying to get the caliper bracket bolts off, i think my previous mechanic used loctite red, frikn A, and i have no leverage trying to get it loose inside the wheel well.
I agree.
When I took intro to auto-shop in highschool, even doing the rear drum with the assembly OFF the car on a bench top was kinda iffy. You need spring retainers, and spring hook-it-over-something thing tools, etc.

There are just so many pivoting parts, springs, retainers, and pins that it'd make it a little bit of a hassle. I recently did my own suspension (minus the strut dis- and re-assembly) and this would be a job I'd send to the brake pros.

But not to discourage you, because like everything else, no car repair on is ever "too much" to attack on your own. Just make sure you have the right tools, I say.

m0nkeyprince
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whew, almost finished installing and relubing my ebc sport rotors and hawk LTS pads.

yo donald, did you by any chance go to franklin high school?

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donald
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negative sir.
But I live nearby :)

I went to John F. Kennedy

btw... what did you use to remove your rotor wheelbearing lock washer? did you go with that mod posted earlier on?
This?
cs_wrc wrote:People were asking about an inexpensive alternative to the spindle nut tool a while back and no one really gave a clear ansewr. Get a spindle nut remover for a Dana 44 axle and do this to it.
http://nissannut.com/maintenance/wheel_bearing_tool/
This tool cost me around $15 at Autozone.
i wonder if it fits the R50.5?

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donald
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btw (again)

... is there any reason to believe brake rotors are different between a R50 Pathfinder and a Qx4?
The reason I ask is I've purchased the Brembo flat/blank rotors from Amazom.com, Part# BDR25551, which is the same part number I get from placeforbrakes.com, also Brembo part# 25551.
I assume Amazon.com's part# designator "BDR" = "Brembo Disc Rotor"

However, when I do a "Amazom.com - does it fit?" check, it says 2001, 2002 Pathfinder is GOOD!
when I enter 2001, 2002 Qx4, it says it does not fit.

placeforbrakes.com is selling them at $270$
Amzom.com seems to have the remaining stock at 55$
both offer free-shipping (placeforbrakes > $50, Amazom > $25).

I appreciate any feedback.
Thanks!

m0nkeyprince
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to remove the lock wash, stick a screw driver into one of holes and turn counter clockwise and it should turn out. but before that, there is a lock washer with the two screws, your gonne have to have a needle nose plier and pull it straight out.

sorry, cant help you out with the brembo thing, i got the ebc sport rotors, but im almost 100% sure that the pathfinder and qx4 ones are compatible. I got taillight guardd from amazon for the pathfidner and it says it dosnt fit my qx, but they have the same taillights, i think youll be okay

i just got back from burnishing my pads and rotors (people were looking at me like wtf?)


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